On the Airport’s Radar
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in 2017 kicked off a $1 billion capital improvement project that will include new security checkpoints and replace 14 outdoor boarding areas with a new concourse that keeps passengers out of the weather. Both Reagan National and Washington Dulles International Airport reported record numbers of passengers. International traffic at Dulles grew for the 14th consecutive year as Air India began new service and nearly a dozen airlines increased service by at least 10 percent over 2016. In 2018, low-cost carrier Primera Air will offer five weekly flights to London Stansted starting in August, and Cathay Pacific launches service to Hong Kong in September.
Sweet Dreams
The new, 220-room LINE DC, housed in a former church in the eclectic Adams Morgan neighborhood, has six food and beverage outlets and a rooftop with views of the Washington Monument. The art-filled hotel has retained original features like pews, 60-foot vaulted ceilings and large brass entry doors. Hotels at The Wharf, a new 24-acre development along the Potomac River in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood, are the 278-room Inter-Continental DC -The Wharf, 175-room Canopy by Hilton Washington DC/The Wharf and 237-room Hyatt House Washington DC/The Wharf.
Museums and More
Museum of the Bible
The $500 million Museum of the Bible, DC’s newest museum and largest privately-funded museum, opened in November 2017 just three blocks from the U.S. Capitol. In fall of 2018, the National Law Enforcement Museum opens in Judiciary Square with “walk-in-the shoes” experiences and exhibits ranging from forensics to how law officers are portrayed in pop culture. On the National Mall, the iconic Washington Monument, now closed to visitors, reopens in spring 2019 with a new visitor center, ticket booth and elevator. The mall’s newest Smithsonian museum is the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Opened in fall of 2016, it covers topics from slavery to Black Lives Matter. In the Southwest Waterfront district, Audi Field at Buzzard Point, the $300 million stadium for the DC United professional soccer team, opens in July of 2018.
Shopping Hot Spots
Exciting retail options await in new mixed-use developments in downtown DC. In Mount Vernon Square, across from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the 665 New York Avenue mega-complex will incorporate 15 buildings from the early 1900s and include Apple’s future flagship store at Carnegie Library upon opening in late 2018 or early 2019. Phase two of the CityCenterDC luxury complex, already home to high-end shops like Gucci, Burberry, Bulgari and Louis Vuitton, will deliver an additional 30,000 square feet of retail space in 2019.